Segment: Cutting Corners Kills Business, Building Excellence From Ground Up in Africa

Summary

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Episode Overview

Episode Title: Cutting Corners Kills Business, Building Excellence From Ground Up in Africa
Podcast: Konnected Minds with Derrick Abaitey
Date: July 1, 2026
Guest: Funke Parkner Obrute (FBO) – Founder of Zafa Events, acclaimed African events company and global speaker

In this conversation, Derrick Abaitey and Funke Parkner Obrute dive deep into the fundamentals of excellence in African business, the destructive impact of cutting corners, and the values, mindset, and processes necessary for building a world-class business from the ground up. Funke shares hard-earned lessons from her 20+ years in the events industry and provides actionable insights into leadership, vision, and organizational culture—especially within the unique challenges of the African context.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Foundation of Excellence

• Creating Joy as Motivation

  • Funke emphasizes that her central purpose is to create happiness and joy for clients, no matter the type of event (funeral, wedding, corporate, etc.).
    • Quote (A/Funke, 02:32):
      “Right from the very beginning I had decided... the business I was going to run was going to be an excellent company. It would be a business that was going to go over and beyond, it would be a business that was going to create value and ensure that our clients are happy.”
    • Quote (A/Funke, 03:52):
      “My why is, look, I want to create an excellent company. I want to build an exceptional business. ... I want people to be happy, to be joyous. That is the why for us.”

• Excellence as a Non-Negotiable Standard

  • Funke's guiding principle: aim for “101 percent” effort.
    • Quote (A/Funke, 05:22):
      “You have to aim for a hundred and one percent all the time. You may not hit it, ... but guess what? You are aiming for that. Excellent. You are aiming for 101 every single time.”

The African Context: Challenges and Solutions

• Perception of Mediocrity

  • Many businesses in Africa settle for less, using shoddy finishings and lacking pride in their output. Funke stands apart by making diligence central.
    • Quote (B/Derrick, 04:40):
      “… Most people just do things anyhow. ... sometimes you can see very crooked. How have you been able to build this excellence from ground up?”

• Vision, Team, and “Doggedness”

  • Funke attributes her company's culture of excellence to relentless vision casting, leadership by example, and “doggedness.”
  • She acknowledges the immense difficulty—balancing commitment, patience, and human complexity.
    • Quote (A/Funke, 05:03):
      “It's a lot of hard work. It's a lot of commitment, a lot of tears, a lot of diligence, a lot of visioning. ... when you put your heart in something and you do it with all you have, all your might, you have to aim for a hundred and one percent all the time.”

• Leadership and Team Building

  • Noting that you can’t do it alone, Funke stresses the importance of training, communication, and patience.

    • Quote (A/Funke, 05:55):
      “You can't do it alone. So you must carry people with you. … you must always teach, you must guide, you must train, you must show, you must tell.”

  • Recognizing diverse skills and paces is crucial:

    • Quote (A/Funke, 06:38):
      “It's a marathon. ... Some people may run slower than others. ... Some are going to say, I'm not doing this again, and turn back. But there will be people that will finish with you... as you're going, everybody just understands, look, this is the end result.”

The Human Element: Challenges of Leadership

• Personalities & Patience

  • Managing varying personalities and commitment levels is the hardest part of Funke’s business.
    • Quote (A/Funke, 08:23):
      “…my brain is like a computer. So I want people to see like I see. ... a lot of people sometimes can't see like I see. So I have to almost like reboot and reboot and all that. But they eventually get there. … Being patient is one of the key things you must learn as a leader. It's important.”

• Communicating Vision

  • Funke illustrates, via the “blind men and the elephant” analogy, how team members may see only parts of the big picture—her task is constant redirection.
    • Quote (A/Funke, 09:03):
      “It's like looking at an elephant... Depending on the parts you touch, … you as the leader, you are the one that has the straight line vision, ... you now have to find a way to redirect everybody to that vision that you see.”

• Biblical Analogies for Leadership

  • Funke draws parallels with Moses leading the Israelites and Jesus teaching in parables, emphasizing the need for repeated, creative communication.
    • Quote (A/Funke, 09:21):
      “Just think about it, even in the Bible… Moses was the one hearing... But of course, as Jesus came and all that, all of us can now hear, right? ... you must always continue to speak. You must continue to say it, because people hear what they want to hear sometimes.”

Operational Excellence: Structure and Process

• Beyond People: The Need for Systems
  • Excellence is not just a matter of individuals, but also of structure, SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures), and process discipline.
    • Quote (A/Funke, 10:59):
      “But at the same time, even with people, you must also have structure. So when you have your structure, you have your processes, ... your SOPs ... And everybody understands that, look, this is the way we work. ... It's not about just people. There's process. ... There’s a lot that makes something big or makes it the way we see that excellence.”

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Memorable Quotes & Moments

• On Gender and Support: (00:58)
  • Funke (A): “The society, it favors men more than women. ... The man you marry. It determines how far one can go in life as a woman. As a man, you must support a woman.”
  • Funke (A): “At least you can, even if you're not cooking, be with her in the kitchen.”
• Fan Testimonial of Excellence: (02:08)
  • Derrick (B): “I love the excellence of Zafa events. Auntie Funkebackna is the best event planner in Nigeria. I think in Nigeria they need to remove the Nigeria and make it Africa.”
  • Funke (A): “Oh wow. I wonder who said that. I need to go and frame that in my living room and just listen and just watch it.”
• On Pushing the Standard: (05:22)
  • Funke (A): “For us to deliver, we must be 101. So to deliver 101, you must be 101. And that takes a lot of sacrifice.”

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Segment Timestamps

• 00:00–01:15 – Funke’s motivation: spreading joy through events; brief on societal roles and gender support
• 01:33–03:52 – Introduction of Funke and her reputation; early reflections on building excellence and customer happiness as central “why”
• 04:40–06:38 – Challenges of mediocrity in Africa and the specifics of Funke's commitment to excellence with her team
• 06:38–08:21 – The “marathon” of building an excellent company; managing varying personalities; the reality of leadership
• 08:21–09:59 – The hardest parts of leadership, patience, and aligning a team with vision
• 09:03–10:57 – Communicating vision via analogies (elephant, Moses, Jesus); the necessity of repeated clear communication
• 10:59–End – The crucial role of structure, systems, and process in enabling sustained excellence

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Conclusion

This episode of Konnected Minds offers a powerful masterclass on what it takes to run an exceptional African business—particularly in an environment where mediocrity is often accepted as the norm. Through her frank, energetic storytelling, Funke Parkner Obrute reveals that true excellence is about relentless vision, uncompromising values, people-centered leadership, enduring patience, and strong operational standards. Her insights will resonate with business builders across Africa and beyond—reminding leaders that “cutting corners kills business,” but doggedly building excellence can create legacies and lasting joy.

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Transcript

[A]

Planning an event. I want people to be happy, to be joyous.

[B]

How have you been able to build this excellence from ground up?

[A]

For us to deliver, we must be 101.

[B]

Is that the reason why people keep coming to you?

[A]

I think so. One other major reason is that if

[B]

you close your eyes and then imagine the last event you did, how does this whole description looks like?

[A]

Don't ask me about the last event. It's not an easy thing to do. It's very hard for me.

[B]

I want you to take me through the process from planning to executing an event.

[A]

So I think that for the first moment is to understand the view.

[B]

Some women say that when they start chasing their dreams and mix that with children or husband, you can slow them down. What's your view on that?

[A]

The society, it favors men more than women. It's important that one marries, right? The man you marry. It determines how far one can go in life as a woman. As a man, you must support a woman.

[B]

What does that mean?

[A]

This is a very tough question. It means that you must cut them some slack. At least you can, even if you're not cooking, be with her in the kitchen.

[B]

We should all be in the kitchen and be cooking at the same time.

[A]

This fat woman is a debate that will not end.

[B]

My guest today is Funke Parkner Obrute FBO for short. And she has Africa's biggest events company and she's also a global speaker. And I must also say that she's on Africa's biggest business podcast. So hopefully we have a great conversation and you enjoy and get some value. You're welcome to my studio, madam. Thank you.

[A]

Thank you very much.

[B]

So I have something here. This is from people who have seen you over the years. They've enjoyed what you've done for people in the events space and also the speaking that you've done. And one person says that I love the excellence of Zafa events. Auntie Funkebackna is the best event planner in Nigeria. I think in Nigeria they need to remove the Nigeria and make it Africa.

[A]

Oh wow. I wonder who said that. I need to go and frame that in my living room and just listen and just watch it.

[B]

How do you do it?

[A]

How? Oh my goodness. The how I think. Well, the how is a is a long story of over 20 something years. But honestly, I would say that right from the very beginning I had decided that what we were going to do or what I was going to build or the business I was going to run was going to be an excellent company. It was going to be a business that was going to go over and beyond, it would be a business that was going to create value and ensure that our clients are happy. So with that mindset or with that belief, everything that we do revolves around that. So excellence is important. Creative value is important. Going over and beyond exceptional customer service and doing the work, a lot of people don't do the work. So it's about just doing the work. You've been, you've been given a job to do it very well. And I think even for me, it also comes from in the scriptures where it says whatever you find your hand to do well, as if you're doing it unto the Lord. So. And when you're doing something unto the Lord, you have to do it excellently. Right? You do it with all your heart. So that's some of the things that has really driven. And so when you say the how, when you have all these values or all this, the your why. So my why is, look, I want to create an excellent company. I want to build an exceptional business. I want to create value. I want to run a business that is known for great things. So my why and also my why is that I want people to be happy. So I want to create joyous memories for people. Because when you are planning an event and you're planning, whether it's a funeral, a birthday, a corporate event, a wedding, any event that you're planning, a product launch, you just, your clients want to go away. Even if it's a sad event, they just want to feel happy. So I'm like, I want people to be happy, to be joyous. That is the why for us. So that why now translates into the how, right? Yes.

[B]

In this part of the world. I've just come from Ghana, I've been to Nairobi and now I'm in Nigeria. Most people just do things anyhow. As a matter of fact, I think you hire a builder to do something for you. And the finishing, sometimes you can see very crooked. How have you been able to build this excellence from ground up? It's very, it's very admirable.

[A]

It's a lot of hard work. It's a lot of commitment, a lot of tears, a lot of diligence, a lot of visioning. So it's important that when you are running an organization, running a team, or you have people around you, you have to let them see the bigger picture. You have to let them see the vision. Why we doing what we're doing? Why are we in business? Yes, we want to make money, right? It's profitability, of course, impact, of course. But at the same time, when you are in need for, let's say, profitability impact, you still have to do the right thing. And it's important that people understand that when you put your heart in something and you do it with all you have, all your might, you have to aim for a hundred and one percent all the time. You may not hit it, you may make mistakes, but guess what? You are aiming for that. Excellent. You are aiming for 101 every single time. So because of that, I'm dogged. And that doggedness is something that everybody around me must feel. Yes, I know that I can be sometimes a bit tough, or sometimes it seems like I just want everybody to be a certain way. But guess what? It's important because for us to deliver, we must be 101. So to deliver 101, you must be 101. And that takes a lot of sacrifice. It takes a lot of commitment. It takes a lot of diligence, hard work, it takes a lot of not cutting corners. It takes a lot of excellence. It takes, you know, it just takes a lot to achieve this. So when people ask me this question, I always say, look, you can't, first of all, you can't do it alone. So you must carry people with you. But, and as you carry people, you must always teach, you must guide, you must train, you must show, you must tell. And then as you do that, they begin to buy into the vision that you also have. But it's important to recognize that people are not going to come on this journey with you at on the same pace or at the same pace. So you're going to start this race right, It's a marathon. And when you start a marathon, the thing is to get to the end. So when you are all running, someone may run slower than others. Some are going to be faster, some are going to rest in between. Some are going to say, I'm not doing this again, and turn back. But there will be people that will finish with you and that finishing in the process. There's a lot of endurance. So as you are running and as you're going, everybody just understands, look, this is the end result. This is where we're going. Let's keep on pushing, let's keep on running, let's keep on walking. If we have to crawl, let's crawl. If we have to walk, let's walk. If we have to run, let's run. Let's not get there. Do you understand? So I think that that's some of the things that, like I said, it's not an easy thing, thing to do because you're dealing with human beings, you are dealing with people. And when you're dealing with people, they're. Everybody has different personalities, different strengths, different weaknesses. As a leader or as someone that is running an organization, you have to recognize every people's strengths, see their weaknesses, and then play to that strength. It's not easy. It's very hard for me, it's very hard.

[B]

Would you say that's the hardest part of your business?

[A]

Yes, because my brain works. My brain is like a computer. So I want people to see like I see. Right. But a lot of people sometimes can't see like I see. So I have to almost like reboot and reboot and all that. But they eventually get there. All right. So that patience, that endurance, that what they call it, I don't know. It's not a nasty. But patient. Being patient is one of the key things you must learn as a leader. It's important.

[B]

So, yeah, doesn't that make it a bit stressful in a sense that when you can see a direction and you're trying to get everybody to see, how do you deal with that?

[A]

So it's like when you, you first of all, when you realize that it's like looking at an elephant. You know, you touch an elephant and they tell you to touch. They close your eyes and say, touch an elephant. Some people can touch the tail and they'll tell you that the elephant is a snake. Somebody can touch the side and say, oh, it's a wall. Somebody can touch the trunk and say, oh no, this is iron. You depending on the parts you touch, right? And you as the leader, you are the one that has the straight line vision, the bird's eye or what do they say? So you now have to find a way to redirect everybody to that vision that you see. Some people may go right, some may go left, some people may go, but guess what? You just have to do the work. It's work. And even when you look, just think about it, even in the Bible, look at Moses that was leader of the Israelites. He was the one that saw God was. God spoke to him. God spoke to Moses. God spoke to him. And he was one that had to show the Israelites the way, right? But guess what? Because it was Moses that was talking to God more, the people didn't see. They couldn't. They couldn't see what Moses saw. All they were just saying was, ah, you have stressed us. Why did you carry us from Egypt. Oh, lamentation upon lamentation. But Moses was the one hearing. But of course, as Jesus came and all that, all of us can now hear, right? So you just. And if you notice, even with Jesus, you can see that Jesus spoke a lot of. In parables, he was always sharing. He will speak to 12, he will speak to 70, he will speak to thousands, he will speak to four, he will speak to three. Because he needed to just keep on getting everybody to understand. And you must always, even with people, when you are communicating, you must always continue to speak. You must continue to say it, because people hear what they want to hear sometimes.

[B]

Ah, so you see, you're bothering me, but you must.

[A]

You must die. Yeah, they must hear it. But that's how we all succeed. So you must get direct people to see the vision that you see. That vision of excellence, that vision of going over and beyond. They must see it. And anybody that doesn't see it, let them get out, Let them go. But of course, you need time because everybody is coming from different parts. Your exposure. Some people don't have the exposure, some people lack the training some people don't have and all that. So you need to bring all that in place. But at the same time, even with people, you must also have structure. So when you have your structure, you have your processes, you have your procedure, you have your SOPs, your standard operating, and you have all those things. And everybody understands that, look, this is the way we work. This is how it is. And you keep on drumming it, but you cannot. It's not about just people. There's process. You know, there's a lot that makes something big or makes it the way we see that excellence. Connected Minds Podcast.